The invention relates to a retractable cable device, and more particularly, this invention relates to a combined battery booster cable and storage container device from which the booster cable can be deployed when stored in the container for and restored in the container after use.
Cable devices, known generally as "booster cables" for use in supplying power to the battery of one vehicle from the battery of another vehicle, have long been employed. The specific purpose of these cables is to obtain sufficient additional electrical power from the battery of one vehicle to the starter and ignition circuits of a second vehicle with insufficient battery power due to a run down or dead battery. In the simplest and most common form these cable devices are comprised of a pair of heavy duty cables of large gauge wire with some form of clamps or attachment means at each end so that the proper battery terminals of each vehicle battery may be interconnected. Generally, the person using such cable devices carries them in his vehicle. The individual cables are usually in excess of ten feet in length and invariably present an annoying storage problem. Since the cables are long and stiff they are not easily compacted into a neat and orderly arrangement either by winding into a series of loops or winding into a ball or simply by being compacted into a random, unwound package. Furthermore, in use, the individual cables are necessarily extended to their full length before being used regardless of the distance between the two batteries to be interconnected.
There have been attempts made to design cable devices for various purposes in which a scheme is taught for neat and orderly storage of the cables. One of these devices is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,285 issued on Dec. 10, 1974 to Horace Leo Woodring.
The Woodring device is a retractable cable device which comprises a cable used as a booster cable for vehicle batteries which is wound around a spring loaded spool positioned within a container in a manner so that the ends of the cable pair are accessible at separate container exits. The cable is wound around the spool in a double manner. The cable is first looped in a crimped fashion and the loop is secured to the spool with the cable doubly wound around the spool so that each end of the cable exits the container on opposite sides thereof. The spool is biased in the cable wound position and stop means are provided so that the spool may be stopped at a selected cable length from maximum length to minimum length. An end clamp storage means is provided. The above reference patent provides an improvement to the prior art use of a pair of ten to fifteen feet long cables as described above. However, the device of the patent has several drawbacks and a device with a further advancement to overcome these drawbacks would be more readily acceptable.